Salton Sea and the SouthernValley, California (supply: flickr/ Doc Searls, artistic commons)
The US DOE GTO has printed a name for proposals for funding for analysis tasks associated to lithium and important supplies within the Salton Sea geothermal space.
The US Division of Power’s (DOE) Geothermal Applied sciences Workplace (GTO) has issued a name for proposals from DOE Nationwide Laboratories for analysis and improvement tasks associated to geothermal and important supplies.
Full functions should be submitted by the twentieth of Could 2024. The anticipated award issuance shall be by September 2024. The entire name for proposals could be accessed through this hyperlink.
There may be roughly USD 5 million in annual funding obtainable to enjoyable all tasks solicited on this Lab Name pending functions, program route, and go/no-go selections.
The Lab Name is split into three subjects areas. Just one proposal per matter space could be submitted.
Subject Space 1 – Evaluation on deep and shallow rocks within the Salton Sea geothermal space
This matter space focuses on evaluation on rocks from deeper (hotter) and shallower (cooler) within the Salton Sea geothermal space to check whether or not the mineral hosts of lithium shifts with modifications in temperature and to find out how portions of lithium evolve with depth. Tasks will develop a database of geochemical and thermodynamic properties of typical rock within the Salton Sea Identified Geothermal Useful resource Space (KGRA) to higher perceive how mineral host rocks inside a typical geothermal reservoir could be chemically or thermally altered to breakdown and launch lithium and different potential vital minerals.
Subject Space 2 – Analysis of novel drilling expertise enhancements in supercritical situations
This matter space goals to enhance entry to the geothermal reservoir and stabilize lithium manufacturing over time by evaluating novel drilling expertise enhancements to totally entry the geothermal useful resource. Candidates will develop an evaluation of drilling supplies particular to supercritical situations like these within the Salton Sea KGRA.
Subject Space 3 – Characterization of vital supplies in geothermal useful resource areas
This matter space focuses on characterizing lithium and important supplies in geothermal useful resource areas past the Salton Sea area. Tasks will assess lithium presence, reservoir quantity, focus components, manufacturing decline charges, and environmental impacts.
GTO is partnering with DOE’s Workplace of Fossil Power and Carbon Administration to think about the Smackover KGRA and associated oil and gasoline manufacturing areas (Subject Space 3a) and different KGRAs which have the potential to or are at present producing lithium and different vital minerals in america, together with Alaska and Hawaii (Subject Space 3b).
The analysis and improvement (R&D) actions to be funded beneath this lab name will assist the government-wide strategy to the local weather disaster by driving the innovation that may result in the deployment of unpolluted vitality applied sciences, that are vital for local weather safety. Particularly, this lab name will tackle the Biden Administration’s Govt Order on America’s Provide Chain by strengthening the resilience of America’s provide chains by diversifying and facilitating higher home manufacturing of enough stockpiles of vital minerals.
Supply: US Division of Power
